Alexandre Pantoja vs. Askar Askarov will kickstart the main card at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 betting on Saturday, July 18. This should be a very exciting tilt with Pantoja currently No. 4 in the UFC flyweight rankings and the up-and-coming Askarov ranked No. 7
UFC odds have Pantoja installed as the -200 favorite, while Askarov is the underdog at +168. We break down the UFC betting odds for this flyweight battle and give our best picks and predictions for Pantoja vs. Askarov on July 18.
| UFC Fight Night odds | Alexandre Pantoja | Askar Askarov |
|---|---|---|
| Win outright | -200 | +168 |
| Win by KO/TKO | +500 | +1,200 |
| Win by points | +110 | +260 |
| Win by submission | +850 | +1,100 |
| Draw | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Pantoja vs Askarov betting preview
Alexandre "The Cannibal" Pantoja is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Matt Schnell last December. He's won four of his last five fights, with his lone loss in that span coming via decision to Deiveson Figueiredo — currently the highest-ranked fighter in the division.
Pantoja is an excellent striker with crisp combos and good movement, plus he's very good on the mat as well.
Askar "Bullet" Askarov is unbeaten in his career but most of his fights have come in Russia, and although the ACB is one of the top fighting organizations in the world it's still a step below the UFC. He made his UFC debut last September with a draw against Brandon Moreno, who is now No. 3 in the UFC flyweight rankings. He followed that with a unanimous decision win over Tim Elliott at UFC 246.
The 27-year-old Dagestan native is a strong technical boxer with a terrific ground game, as seven of his 11 wins have come via submission.
| Alexandre Pantoja | Askar Askarov | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Age | 27 |
| 5-foot-5 | Height | 5-foot-6 |
| 125 lbs | Weight | 125 lbs |
| 68 inches | Reach | 67 inches |
| 22-4-0 (8 KO) | Record | 11-0-1 (3 KO) |
Pantoja vs Askarov UFC predictions and betting picks
PREDICTION: Askarov to win (+168) - Pantoja is arguably the more well-rounded fighter, as his stand up ability is better than Askarov, but at -200 he's a tad overvalued. Askarov is a tremendous pressure fighter and is the slightly better grappler with an extremely high output level. He's also a patient fighter that will wait for openings when Pantoja tries to make this a brawl.
Although Askarov seemed to slow down a bit in the third round against Moreno, that could be attributed to the high elevation of Mexico City, which also happens to be Moreno's hometown. In general, Askarov has tremendous fitness and should be able to push the pace. This fight should be closer than oddsmakers think, which gives the underdog plenty of value at +168.
More UFC Fight Night picks and predictions
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Askar Askarov is just one of the bouts slated for UFC Fight Night, but there are plenty of other exciting fights on this card. Check out our best picks and predictions for these other bouts taking place on July 18:
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez
Jack Hermansson vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Marc Diakiese vs. Rafael Fiziev
Ariane Lipski vs Luana Carolina
